Seriously one of our best launches. Of course, in the immortal Stan Lee's sayings, we've always put out great product, it's just we get better as we go!

Nick

shadowkat

11-24-2010, 06:40 PM

JUST read the issue.

Since this is the first issue i'm not going to judge it harshly since most first issues tend to be a little light on what occurs.I did like how throughout this issue we were given access to vampirellas thoughts and feelings. However i found this issue to be quite boring. nothing much really happens except vampirella running around beating up lame thugs.

HOWEVER. i can tell that now that the foundations have been laid out the next issue will probably be a lot better. i'm looking forward to this new female rival of vampirella.

one little nit pick i must make which is aimed at the colorist. is vampirella'
s eyes. it's one thing to get a character in a team books eye color wrong its another to get the LEAD characters eye color wrong through out there entire premier issue. vampi's eyes should be GREEN not black. things like that are important considering shes not wearing her iconic costume.

nickybdynamite

11-24-2010, 08:21 PM

Hi Shadowkat,

Let me thow in my biased two cents. Issue #1 had to have a balance of introducing Vampirella to new readers and giving existing fans the story moved forward.

We think Eric did a fantastic job.

Now, no two reviews will be the same, but I'll toss out two in a second.

best!

Nick

nickybdynamite

11-24-2010, 08:26 PM

From the News that is Arama - see how I did that? Newsarama, from the news that is arama - fell flat didn't it?

Newsarama's review:

Greetings, Rama readers! Your friendly neighborhood David Pepose here, coming to you with the Best Shots team with some of tomorrow's reviews, today! We've got looks at a trio of number-one releases, including books from Dynamite, Image and BOOM! Studios. Want more? We've got a ton of back issue reviews at the Best Shots Topic Page! And now, let's take a look at a returned comic book icon, with the first issue of Dynamite's relaunched Vampirella...

ENLARGEVampirella #1
Written by Eric Trautmann
Art by Wagner Reiss and Inlight Studio
Lettering by Marshall Dillon
Published by Dynamite Entertainment
Review by David Pepose
Click here for preview

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www.themoltingcomic.comFor those who say "image is everything," I counter with Vampirella #1 -- it's not the image that makes the brand. It's the mood.

Considering Vampirella has had a tumultuous publishing history over the years, moving from Warren Publishing to Harris Publications and finally with Dynamite Entertainment, it's a smart move that Eric Trautmann and company take their own spin on not just Vampirella as a character, but on her interaction with her environment. With a much more "urban" vibe to our heroine, there's definitely some potential to give Vampirella some bite as a franchise.

Where writer Eric Trautmann succeeds most in this script is the plotting. Trautmann is definitely an idea man, and seeing this very different Vampirella -- a street-fighting vampiress wearing a suit rather than a pinup wearing a disco space-thong -- brings some momentum to the character. Trautmann also plays up the idea of Vampirella fighting in an urban jungle, which grounds her a little bit more into some real-world stakes. Sometimes, I think the action comes a little too quickly -- like when some vampire cops come calling -- but ultimately, the story moves fast.

But I'll say this -- artist Wagner Reiss is the one that really sets the mood to the piece. He sets up the shadowy, almost claustrophobic nature of the city early, and really gives it a personality of its own. Reiss's art reminds me of a very rough Mike Deodato -- lots of shadows, some distended figures, a willingness to play with panel composition to make an impression. That said, Reiss's sketchniess can also make his work seem a bit inconsistent, particularly with his faces, with characters gaining and losing features even from panel to panel.

Ultimately, what will make or break this book moving forward will be whether or not Trautmann can make us really empathize for Vampi, and make her into a character that readers will root for, not just drool over. There's some potential here -- particularly when Vampi mentions her mortal lover who died -- and that sympathetic hook will give this overhauled character a storytelling engine to match.

But as far as first issues go, Eric Trautmann and Wagner Reiss do succeed in their intended goal: They've put their mark on Vampirella, creating a new world and a new tone for the original comic book bad girl. But now that they've set the mood, the real question with readers is this: Can they make a good enough impression to seal the deal?

nickybdynamite

11-24-2010, 08:27 PM

And from Comic Vine.com - Hubba Hubba (I'm talking about the 4.5 out of 5 - please to get mind out of gutter :-)

Early Review: Vampirella #1
Added by Zack Freeman on Nov. 23, 2010

Vampirella re-emerges in the urban jungle to track down the mysterious "Le Fanu" - - a vampire madam behind an insidious "biter club."

The Good

Reis' art is just exquisite. Lush shadows, rich detail and enough dynamic license to properly balance the realism. He really gave this the right mix of urban horror and romantic adventure. Trautman's script breaks Vampi's struggle against the vampires down into something alternately heroic, tragic and perverse - - and there's a complexity I could glom to. I was also really charmed by the back-up feature by the memorable duo of Loeb and Sale. It gives a very Robert E. Howard "secret origin" to Vampirella.

The Bad
Pulling from what I know of Vampi (and from the opening recap,) I think she was a princess of an alien planet of vampires at one point. I hope this new incarnation touches on that later on, because the extended opening - - a gender-swapped riff on the typical "back-alley mugging prevention" - - felt a bit too down-to-Earth for a character who screams to be “over the top.”

The Verdict - 4/5
Vampirella’s a title I’ve been curious about for many years but never actually gotten a chance to read on account of how inconsistently it was stocked. This is a strong, accessible debut with some real mood and character to it - - I just hope it's going to get as outrageous as I've understood the character to be.

nickybdynamite

11-24-2010, 11:38 PM

oh, and on the eyes, Issue #2, when we see her in costume, we’re going to go green, out of costume and out of the “dream/flashback” world we’ll stay black until we “coalesce” the two.

Comic2read

11-25-2010, 01:58 AM

I noticed he drew Vampirella very skinny. Almost anorexic. I imagine this is an experiment to see if a dialed down Vampirella appealed to more readers.

I did like the new villain.

I wish they hired Gonzalo Mayo for an issue. He drew a good Vampi and that can redeem a lot.

electron

11-25-2010, 09:16 AM

oh, and on the eyes, Issue #2, when we see her in costume, we’re going to go green, out of costume and out of the “dream/flashback” world we’ll stay black until we “coalesce” the two.

I am frank on this and say: this sounds bad in my book.

does this mean, the new concept only shows Vampirella in costume in “dream/flashback” and with a different eye color and without the costume *permanently* in the here and now?????

please say it aint so!!!!!

I am curious to see this develop but this has bad potential for a long time fan of the character.
I put a lot of hope in “coalesce” then.

shadowkat

11-25-2010, 02:13 PM

oh, and on the eyes, Issue #2, when we see her in costume, we’re going to go green, out of costume and out of the “dream/flashback” world we’ll stay black until we “coalesce” the two.

i don't want to sound like a jerk but that sounds like a horrible idea. why on earth is her eye color changing when she goes into costume? vampirella is recognized for her emerald green eyes. the scene in the begining where she lowers her shades and exposes her eyes would have had such a stronger impact if her eyes were green. instead they were pitch black making her look almost unrecognizable. it's one thing to change her costume but now there changing eye color? whats next? vampirella's gonna dye her hair blond and sport a british accent?

boomvavavoom

11-26-2010, 04:03 AM

vampirella is recognized for her emerald green eyes. the scene in the begining where she lowers her shades and exposes her eyes would have had such a stronger impact if her eyes were green.
Agreed.
And the lines the "corrupt cops" sported... I hate lines like that. But maybe I live in a very protective world :) I have never heard people talk like that. And that necklace... so huge!

But o well... I could live with these changes. I am just curious how this Dracula will fit in with the old Dracula...

We will see... all in all I was completely drawn into the story, loved the art, loved the cliff-hanger, loved the scenery, loved the fact that I thought "damn... too few pages!!" :D because I wanted to read more!

Well, my personal concerns aside, I like the overall reception that vampirella relaunched gets.
This seems like a stable platform to leap from.

congrats to the publishers!
I wish for all the hardcore fans that lots of newbies get interested.

comixfan1980

11-28-2010, 06:27 PM

I dug the book, I've read it twice now and I will post my thoughts on it a little later on but one thing I did like best about the book was the amazing art, seriously, it was damn good and some of the best pencils I've seen all year. Kudo's DE on yet another stellar release! :D

Thunder

11-29-2010, 02:11 PM

Vampirella number one seems like a fine kicking off place for the new series. Granted the action seems a little slow at this point. . . but as this looks to be a monthly comic, 30 days isn’t that long to wait for the next installment (not like the gawd-awful wait between the Harris Vampirella Quarterlies). I like the dark mood set in the writing and the art. Hopefully the dialogue will improve with time . . . as it seems a bit stilted. I’m not worried about Vampirella’s costume or eye color . . . I’m waiting to see what is in store. Harris took a lot of wacky chances with Vampirella – so I doubt Dynamite can screw here up too badly. I think the bat pendent She’s wearing is a bit silly. Too big to be practical . . . and if she’s traveling undercover (as she appears to be) that huge piece of Jewelry is a dead-tip-off . . . s’all I’m say’n

KillerKnight

11-29-2010, 03:37 PM

I'm looking forward to all the scuttle on the net about it, sounds like a viable character is back for a while at least. Now I'm pulling for some of the old Chaos comic characters to come back as well.
KK:)

Chiclo

11-29-2010, 04:36 PM

Vampirella number one seems like a fine kicking off place for the new series. Granted the action seems a little slow at this point. . . but as this looks to be a monthly comic, 30 days isn’t that long to wait for the next installment (not like the gawd-awful wait between the Harris Vampirella Quarterlies). I like the dark mood set in the writing and the art. Hopefully the dialogue will improve with time . . . as it seems a bit stilted. I’m not worried about Vampirella’s costume or eye color . . . I’m waiting to see what is in store. Harris took a lot of wacky chances with Vampirella – so I doubt Dynamite can screw here up too badly. I think the bat pendent She’s wearing is a bit silly. Too big to be practical . . . and if she’s traveling undercover (as she appears to be) that huge piece of Jewelry is a dead-tip-off . . . s’all I’m say’n

Re: your complaints about the pendant

Are you trying to force function onto fashion? :p

MandyOToole

11-29-2010, 05:00 PM

Vampirella in costume 4 issue #2???? I CANT WAIT!!!! I believe the bat necklace was added after editors decided there needed 2 b some sort of Vampirella character recongnization.....

eric_trautmann

11-30-2010, 02:22 PM

Vampirella in costume 4 issue #2???? I CANT WAIT!!!! I believe the bat necklace was added after editors decided there needed 2 b some sort of Vampirella character recongnization.....

...or, the writer included it in the script from the beginning, for reasons that will become clear in the opening scene of the next issue. It's not just a fashion affectation or accessory.

-E

MandyOToole

11-30-2010, 07:24 PM

Wagner Reis interview from Newsarama: In the first pages I did Trautman and Joe felt something was missing, something that could identify Vampirella and suggested a pendant just like the bird on her swimsuit, so we could identify her in a first moment.

electron

12-01-2010, 10:45 AM

like the bird on her swimsuit

W H A T ???? :eek: That is a bat...:rolleyes:

electron

12-04-2010, 05:32 AM

so, I finally got to pick up my Vampirella#1.

and I am now even more enthusiastic about the relaunch! You guys did a great job and I actually trust you to come up with a reintroduction of the costume that fits the occasion, so to say.
I also though it nice that you cared to reply to this question in the letters section of #1 already.

And a big applause for the one-shot "looking for Mr. Goodwin". This was a very nice tribute to the legend and history of Vampirella - an the costume also was covered (can we say covered here?) in #1!

As for the main story I am totally waiting for #2, the cliffhanger is great. It seems like you have a lot to tell and take the wide curve here.
The artwork is very good although there is one thing that I particulary dislike on portraits of Vampires: when they sport their fangs while their lips are closed (Vampi closup page3) this gives them a debile and silly look.
I am not sure if I am alone here but I think this should be avoided... have you actually ever tried that with your teeth? totally not possible anatomically and makes the facial expression stupid to me...

other than that... I am curious what the huge bat (!) neclace is going to be.

anyone elese felt like being thrown into the Vampire:Masqerade with the club and all? Carmilla (Camarilla...) ... I like the RPG and their world of Vampires so i don't care.

fishing for new readers without T&A approach in the first 1 (or 2) issues shows that there is more to it than T&A. Good idea in my book, may actually work.
As long as there will be T&A starting book 3 :p

and I am now even more enthusiastic about the relaunch! You guys did a great job and I actually trust you to come up with a reintroduction of the costume that fits the occasion, so to say.
I also though it nice that you cared to reply to this question in the letters section of #1 already.

And a big applause for the one-shot "looking for Mr. Goodwin". This was a very nice tribute to the legend and history of Vampirella - an the costume also was covered (can we say covered here?) in #1!

As for the main story I am totally waiting for #2, the cliffhanger is great. It seems like you have a lot to tell and take the wide curve here.
The artwork is very good although there is one thing that I particulary dislike on portraits of Vampires: when they sport their fangs while their lips are closed (Vampi closup page3) this gives them a debile and silly look.
I am not sure if I am alone here but I think this should be avoided... have you actually ever tried that with your teeth? totally not possible anatomically and makes the facial expression stupid to me...

other than that... I am curious what the huge bat (!) neclace is going to be.

anyone elese felt like being thrown into the Vampire:Masqerade with the club and all? Carmilla (Camarilla...) ... I like the RPG and their world of Vampires so i don't care.

fishing for new readers without T&A approach in the first 1 (or 2) issues shows that there is more to it than T&A. Good idea in my book, may actually work.
As long as there will be T&A starting book 3 :p

Actually, "Carmilla" is a reference to a vampire story from the 1800s, written by Sheridan Le Fanu. Le Fanu was a preeminent writer of gothics, suspense, ghost, and supernatural stories in his day, but he's largely forgotten now.

That said, I did set the story in Seattle in part because of friends of mine who were old school Cam members for YEARS.